Laptops in Classrooms, Essay Example

The pace of technological progress has been astonishing in the last few decades and it won’t be an overstatement to claim that personal computer and internet alone have enabled most of the technological revolution. It is almost impossible to think of an area in our lives that has not been influenced by computing technologies. The impact has been so great that for the first time in centuries, the traditional college education system consisting of blackboard, pen, and paper has been challenged. While the benefits of computing technologies in the education system are apparent, not everyone is convinced that laptops in classrooms are productive. Many instructors believe that there are more costs to having laptops in classes than benefits and I agree with them. Laptops should be banned in classrooms because this will result in better learning experiences for the students.

The supporters of laptops in classrooms argue that laptops are more effective alternative to paper notebooks when it comes to taking notes. The supporters would be right if everyone uses laptop for taking notes only because it allows for faster note-taking. But the reality is that there is no way to ensure that students only use laptops for taking notes. Many students use laptops to simply pass time by checking random websites or engaging in other activities such as instant messaging. In addition, they not only don’t pay attention themselves but also distract those around them who may be trying to pay attention (Cole). Like any technology, there are also costs to allowing laptops in classes such as reduced focus, less interaction between students and the instructors, and more distracting learning environment. As Cole demonstrates, there are always strategies that could be adopted to earn some of the benefits offered by laptops such as distributing typed notes to the class. Thus, laptops should be banned in classrooms because even though they offer some benefits, the potential for misuse is huge and there is no effective way to ensure that students use the laptop for learning purposes only.

Laptops should also be banned because they reduce the motivation to learn as Jordan Haverly’s example shows. Haverly admits to looking up answers on the internet when no one in the class could answer a question asked by the instructor (Garstka). Internet-connected laptops make it easier to find answers, thus, the students have little motivation to ponder over the question and brainstorm. Thus, laptops may teach the students to look for shortcuts. Some may also not take notes because one can always take notes from someone who might have typed it and print them out. But there is no quick solution to obtaining notes from someone who would have taken it on a notebook and in addition, some may even be hesitant to lend paper-based notes. Thus, the lower probability of having notes if one doesn’t pay attention in the class would motivate more to put in the required effort. Most of us also realize that not all classes are equally interesting. When lectures seem boring, laptops are powerful tools to pass the time due to almost infinite possibilities of entertainment, thus, the student doesn’t have the motivation to make efforts to enjoy the lecture or at least pay attention to it. But the absence of laptops leaves students with no choice but to pay attention and probably even motivates them to brainstorm to engage more with the lectures.

One of the purposes of in-class learning is to challenge students to think and interact with the instructor as well as their fellow students. Interaction and brainstorming is only possible when students are paying attention and engaged. The presence of technology tools such as laptops reduce interaction and engagement because laptops have all or most the students’ attention (McClellan). Simple logic tells us that if students don’t know what is being discussed, they can’t take part in the discussion. This is not very much different from the complaints we often hear about smart phones as to how they negatively affect interaction among family members because smart phone owners are immersed in their gadgets and have little or no idea of what may be happening around them. In the same way, laptops steal away the attention the students should be giving to class discussions. If class notes are the only purpose, the colleges can simply email course students all the notes and test them periodically because doing so would be quite cost-effective. One of the primary purposes behind in-class learning is exchange of ideas and critical thinking and laptops prevent instructors from achieving these major objectives.

Conclusion

It is clear that even though laptops offer several benefits in an academic environment, the potential for their misuse of quite high and there is no effective way to prevent the misuse except banning them from classrooms. Laptops not only hurt the students’ engagement with lecture and discussion but also distract others who may be trying to pay attention. Laptops do allow faster note-taking but alternative strategies could be adopted such as providing typed notes to students or putting material on course websites. Banning the laptop will help improve the learning experiences of the entire class and will also help students develop critical thinking skills because laptops create sense of easy access to information and thus, reduce the motivation to put in efforts.

References

Cole, David. “Laptops vs. Learning.” Article 1 7 April 2007.

Garstka, Kendra. “Classroom laptop use stirs debate.” Article 4 19 January 2006.

McClellan, Robert. “No Laptops, Please.” Article 6